Cattle-grid blocks bridleway
On 14 March 2012, in a useful judgment for path defenders, two high court judges ruled that a cattle-grid cannot be authorised to block the whole width of a footpath or bridleway—Kind v Northumberland County Council [2012] EWHC 603 (Admin). Capheaton bridleway 11, 18 miles north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne, was recorded as a public…
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Inland Revenue 1910 Finance Act Maps
The working maps drawn up by the Inland Revenue under the Finance Act 1910 were handed over to the Wiltshire Record Office in 1979 and are now in the custody of the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre. The maps are typically consulted by the public for family and local history research and for evidence to…
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Victory for Surrey campaigners who saved wild meadow
An ambitious community campaign to preserve a threatened 30-acre beauty spot in Farnham has been named winner of the first-ever Open Space Award. The amazing success of The Bishop’s Meadow Trust impressed judges from Open Spaces Society and earned it the top spot, despite strong competition nationwide. Jo Aylwin, chairman of the trust, attended the…
Read MoreOpen Space Award 2012
Victory for Surrey campaigners who saved wild meadow An ambitious community campaign to preserve a threatened 30-acre beauty spot in Farnham has been named winner of the first-ever Open Space Award. The amazing success of The Bishop’s Meadow Trust impressed judges from Open Spaces Society and earned it the top spot, despite strong competition nationwide.…
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Jean Macdonald’s Fun Run
As some of you may recall from an earlier feature, our vice-chairman, Jean Macdonald, took part in the Coventry Big Fun Run on 21st August 2011. Jean has sent us this report. ‘Since I became a trustee in July last year, we have discussed how we might raise funds at almost every trustees’ meeting. This…
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Trailblaze
We have recently been contacted by members of the Open Spaces Society who are unhappy about the Trailblaze project which is currently being trialled by Natural England on eight national trails. The society, while generally welcoming the wider use of paths, does have some concerns about this initiative which are broadly as follows: 1. the…
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Sponsor our vice-chairman in Coventry’s Big Fun Run
Our vice-chairman, Jean Macdonald, is taking part in Coventry’s Big Fun Run on 21st August and hopes to raise money for the society by doing so. Read more here Jean says: ‘Although I do a lot of walking I have never done any running so this is a first for me. It is a genuine…
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Authorising structures on rights of way
Defra published in October 2010 good practice guidance for local authorities on compliance with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to structures on rights of way. As it is no longer available on the Government’s website, we have it here: Authorising structures (gaps, gates & stiles) on rights of way The Pittecroft Trust has published…
Read MoreDefra study of Women’s Institute Survey on Town and Village Greens
Please click on the link below to download a copy of Defra’s study of the character of greens based on a semi-randomised representative sample (200) of information gathered by the Women’s Institute across England. Please click here
Read MoreBritish Bike Association on rights for cyclists
There are an increasing number of cyclists in the United Kingdom. This is because bicycles provide economic, ecological and environmental benefits over other forms of transport. Bicycles are used for travelling to and from work, for recreational use and even for delivery purposes. Many cyclists are afraid of vehicular traffic, so choose to cycle on…
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